“We had a game plan going in, and I felt that it wasn’t working. I don’t always ask for advice from the box, but today was one of those rare moments where I felt I didn’t have solutions,” said Coco Gauff, who was extremely disappointed after being ousted last season at Wimbledon. In the fourth round, compatriot Emma Navarro beat her in straight sets (6-4, 6-3). Yes, the World No.1 has shone on clay lately, while emerging as the champion. Her French Open triumph against Aryna Sabalenka last week is clear proof. But grass still happens to be an unsolved mystery for the 21-year-old American. However, the new Queen of Paris has got a bold, yet bizarre, strategy ready to overcome this challenge.
There’s no doubt about Gauff’s clay prowess. Back in 2018, she won the Juniors singles title, too, before showing her consistency on the Parisian clay. Prior to this season’s title win, she had previously reached the semis once and quarterfinals twice in Paris. However, it hasn’t been the case at the All England Club. Since her debut in the event, back in 2019, she’s struggled to even enter the last eight at this major. Her best run has been reaching the fourth round. So what’s going to be the game plan this time?
In an episode of the Nice Talk podcast by Nikki Ogunnaike, dated June 12, Gauff revealed, “going into Wimbledon, I definitely feel pretty confident. And I’ve done fourth round there a few times, so I’m just really focused on trying to get past that stage.” Touching upon the tactics, she added, “I don’t know how I’m going to feel once I step on the court, but I do think that I can give myself the best shot, just trying to keep the moment as minimized as possible, and kind of trying to forget this Roland Garros win, honestly.” Wait, what?
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 3, 2024 Coco Gauff of the U.S. in action during her second round match against Romania’s Anca Todoni REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Justifying her strategy, the World No.2 explained, “Yeah, I think just to stay hungry. And I think after US Open, kind of the rest of that season, I was just like, OK, well, when US Open, season’s almost over, I’m pretty satisfied. And I don’t want to approach the rest of the season in that same standpoint, also because of the fact that there are two other grand slams that are very possible for me to win.”
She continued, “I learned from that mindset post US Open. And I’m just going to try to forget it (French Open win).” She then joked, “Not now, definitely remembering it now. But when the time comes where I step on the center court or court one at Wimbledon, I will definitely try to forget it.” But guess what? The 21-year-old has got one more strategy up her sleeves.
Coco Gauff wants to be “aggressive” at Wimbledon
Coco Gauff’s debut at the Wimbledon was nothing less than a dream. In the 2019 edition, she entered the major as a 15-year-old qualifier who faced none other than the 7-time slam queen Venus Williams. In the first round, the teenager stunned the elder Williams sister in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). As a result, she instantly became an overnight sensation.
While she’s continued to show her tennis prowess on other surfaces since then, the journey on grass has been unstable. Six years ago, she reached the fourth round before losing to former World No.1 Simona Halep. Same was the outcome in her second campaign too, back in 2021. In last three editions (2022, 2023, and 2024), she hasn’t gone beyond the third round, first round, and fourth round respectively.
However, being a two-time slam queen now, Gauff has received immense confidence about the way she’s played lately. Showing aggression on the court has really helped her. That’s exactly what she’s thinking to do at Wimbledon. In an interview with Vogue, she revealed, “Grass has been trial and error for me. The biggest thing, I think, is just to be more aggressive.”
She added, “On clay, you have a little more time; you can slide, you can use the height of the ball’s bounce a bit more. That’s less so on grass.” Hence, the main focus will be to play “more aggressively… and I want to serve a lot bigger.” Do you think the World No.2 will make a deeper run this time at Wimbledon? Let us know in the comments below.
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